DEF LEPPARD CAN DO NO WRONG

JACK CORAGGIO; SPECIAL TO THE COURANTTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Judging by Thursday night's performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliot can't hold the same high notes that he could as a young man. In fact, there were times when it seemed the band as whole was just a hair off-step.

But do these little foibles really mean anything when almost 10,000 people are pumping their fists in the air to "Foolin'?"

Def Leppard has never made it a secret that former producer Robert "Mutt" Lange donated a great sum of studio magic to the band's sound. But as it goes, the studio never translates as well to the arena.

Still, even if the sound wasn't perfect, it was at least good enough. And in a show that covered every popular song -- and then some -- the glam-metal quintet ever released, not too many crowd members left complaining.

The 90-minute, 16-song set ignited with "Rocket" as its opener, which was immediately followed by "Animal." It was a solid start to a show that had very few breaks.

Musically, the concert barely lost momentum, in spite of the one-and-a-half-song acoustic moment, in which "Two Steps Behind" was followed by "Bringing on the Heartbreak."

Of course, the latter of the two broke into a full on electric explosion after the second verse, and after Elliot let the crowd sing the chorus (see: first sentence).

It was during these songs that the band most effectively used the stage's 10-row platform extension. Elliot and all three guitarists, including Phil Collen and bassist Rick Savage, brought out the hollow axes for a sit-down, spotlight delivery to mark the halfway point.

To keep the ball rolling, Elliot kept banter to a minimum, but the limp rendition of "Hysteria" muddied the moment. Still, "Armageddon It," "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" -- with an encore of "Rock of Ages" -- brought the show to an explosive conclusion.

Before Def Leppard performed, fellow old-school rock act Styx brought a little synthesized feeling to the arena. Unlike Def Leppard, lead vocalist Lawrence Gowan had no problem hitting the right octaves, as he made evident on songs like "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself."

Of course, Gowan is a relative newcomer to the band, having replaced Dennis DeYoung. The longtime guitarist, Tommy Shaw, is the true leader of the band, which gave him the initiative to consistently upstage Gowan.